Phil Kessel

[nutman]

Yes, yes and more yes. thanks. Now if only Nic could figure this out. the bottom line is our press are a joke. you would think they would get behind there team, and not make things harder.

It's not their job to "get behind the team." It's their job to find stories people will find interesting and report on them. Now, sure, this whole Kessel brouhaha doesn't really qualify there either, but, they're not paid to be cheerleaders or glad-handers.

But to a certain extent you stay behind the home team you are reporting for. as well you don't create controversy as to affect them going into a big series.

 

[bustaheims]

But to a certain extent you stay behind the home team you are reporting for. as well you don't create controversy as to affect them going into a big series.

If you're doing your job as a reporter properly, you have absolutely no biases and you report the stories as they develop, regardless of what sort of impact it may have.

 

[Kin]

Why people are so upset that Phil Kessel didn't want to speak to the media is beyond me. If Phil Kessel feels he will play better if he doesn't speak with the media, well then, he doesn't speak to the media. If I was the Leafs, I'd even pony up the fine if it ever came to be.

Should Kessel be allowed to skip practice if he doesn't feel like it makes him better? Should he be allowed to skip out on the team's charity events?

Nobody has said, or is saying, that Phil Kessel speaking to the media is a crucial part of their existence. Nobody has said that Phil Kessel speaking to the media yields really interesting results, even if that seems to be the go to strawman right now. All that's been said is that Phil Kessel has an obligation to do so. It's not an obligation to the media, it's an obligation to the team that, just like every other member of the team, he has to deal with the media.

Do I care that Damien Cox wants to talk to Phil Kessel? Not really. Do I care that Dave Nonis expects his players to fulfill their media obligations? Sure. It's part of his job. The NHL, let's not forget, is really just a creation of the BoG. Kessel's fine would be, essentially, coming from the Leafs. They're not going to pay it.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

If you're doing your job as a reporter properly, you have absolutely no biases and you report the stories as they develop, regardless of what sort of impact it may have.

Sorry, this part of your statement made me laugh. Only a handful of reporters still use this as a motto. Most are out to make a name for themselves by saying things like "I can count"....For 4 years they have reported on this story. I can't wait until Phil either leaves or he puts a couple past Boston. The reporters will scramble for their next Leaf to kick in the nuts..repeatedly.

 

[bustaheims]

Sorry, this part of your statement made me laugh. Only a handful of reporters still use this as a motto. Most are out to make a name for themselves by saying things like "I can count"....For 4 years they have reported on this story. I can't wait until Phil either leaves or he puts a couple past Boston. The reporters will scramble for their next Leaf to kick in the nuts..repeatedly.

Sure, but those particular individuals aren't good reporters, and that has nothing to do with how the report on the Leafs or anything else. In fact, for the most part, they're not really even reporters anymore. They're columnists. There's a pretty significant difference between the two, and, really, a big part of the job for a columnist is to magnify controversies

 

[louisstamos]

Yes, yes and more yes. thanks. Now if only Nic could figure this out. the bottom line is our press are a joke. you would think they would get behind there team, and not make things harder.

It's not their job to "get behind the team." It's their job to find stories people will find interesting and report on them. Now, sure, this whole Kessel brouhaha doesn't really qualify there either, but, they're not paid to be cheerleaders or glad-handers.

Yup, this.  Bryzgalov actually put it eloquently (that's a first!) yesterday - it's okay to criticize the team based on the performance on the ice.  That's their job - they are reporters, and (aside from the likes of Paul Hendrick & Mike Ulmer) are not on the team's payroll, so they are free to criticize.  To say "they team lost because they didn't forecheck, Bryzgalov couldn't make a clutch save, etc."  But saying "Bryzgalov is a headcase," or "Kessel has already started his disappearing act," isn't really reporting - it's an assumption trying to be sold as reporting.

There are numerous on ice issues to write about, and yes - how Kessel will fare against Chara and a team he historically hasn't had success against is one of them and a valid question.  But Kessel no-showing in the first media scrum is a manufactured controversy, and (unfortunately) it generates hits/sales.  The Cox article was posted on the Star's facebook page, and 95% of the responses were anti-Cox/pro-Kessel...the problem is, all those same people read the article and were website hits.

I swear, though, if DiManno publishes a "Phil Kessel is sexist" article tomorrow based on that scrum, I will absolutely snap.

 

[Kin]

For 4 years they have reported on this story.

Because it's part of the narrative of Phil Kessel. You might not like that, you might wish it weren't the case, but it is. Boston fans chant his name when he comes into their building, it's a pivotal moment in the building of both of these teams. When the Leafs play Boston how many people here talk about how Boston is the monkey on the Leafs' back and that Kessel's struggles against them have been part of his time here?

If the Leafs win the series against Boston, regardless of how Phil Kessel plays there are going to be a lot of people who look at it as cathartic not only for them as fans but also for the team. The reason the media pays attention to this storyline is because it exists, not because it was created out of whole cloth.

Could you imagine if the Leafs were playing the Sens in the playoffs and Daniel Alfredsson refused to speak to the media because he was sick and tired of hearing questions about how the Sens never beat the Leafs in the playoffs and how he'd been hearing crap like that for 10 years and how the Ottawa media should just let it go and let him play hockey? There wouldn't be enough space on the web to for all of the posts calling him a crybaby.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Why people are so upset that Phil Kessel didn't want to speak to the media is beyond me. If Phil Kessel feels he will play better if he doesn't speak with the media, well then, he doesn't speak to the media. If I was the Leafs, I'd even pony up the fine if it ever came to be.

Should Kessel be allowed to skip practice if he doesn't feel like it makes him better? Should he be allowed to skip out on the team's charity events?

Nobody has said, or is saying, that Phil Kessel speaking to the media is a crucial part of their existence. Nobody has said that Phil Kessel speaking to the media yields really interesting results, even if that seems to be the go to strawman right now. All that's been said is that Phil Kessel has an obligation to do so. It's not an obligation to the media, it's an obligation to the team that, just like every other member of the team, he has to deal with the media.

Do I care that Damien Cox wants to talk to Phil Kessel? Not really. Do I care that Dave Nonis expects his players to fulfill their media obligations? Sure. It's part of his job. The NHL, let's not forget, is really just a creation of the BoG. Kessel's fine would be, essentially, coming from the Leafs. They're not going to pay it.

Perhaps I should clarify on my statements Nik since you seem so vested in this assinine conversation and hissy fit that the media is having

Phil Kessel may have an obligation to speak to the media for his team. IF, he, being the star of the team, deems that it effects his play, or the coaches/management sees that it's affecting his attitude, then it is to the better of the team that he does not speak with the media.

IF, Phil Kessel is better off not practicing every day, then, he does not practice everyday. If your
lead horse does not need to be run on the track daily, you don't run him every day.
When you are the star of the team, you are afforded those luxuries. The bottom line is, if it helps your star player play better, which in turn leads to more wins, you do what you have to as an organization.

And before you berate me with there being no proof or ridiculous stats to support my statement, get that I could give 2 sh*ts whether Phil Kessel speaks to the media or not. If he was to speak I would
so prefer he told that Rossie Dimano chick to shove her microphone up her a$$ but that's just me.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

For 4 years they have reported on this story.

Because it's part of the narrative of Phil Kessel. You might not like that, you might wish it weren't the case, but it is. Boston fans chant his name when he comes into their building, it's a pivotal moment in the building of both of these teams. When the Leafs play Boston how many people here talk about how Boston is the monkey on the Leafs' back and that Kessel's struggles against them have been part of his time here?

If the Leafs win the series against Boston, regardless of how Phil Kessel plays there are going to be a lot of people who look at it as cathartic not only for them as fans but also for the team. The reason the media pays attention to this storyline is because it exists, not because it was created out of whole cloth.

Could you imagine if the Leafs were playing the Sens in the playoffs and Daniel Alfredsson refused to speak to the media because he was sick and tired of hearing questions about how the Sens never beat the Leafs in the playoffs and how he'd been hearing crap like that for 10 years and how the Ottawa media should just let it go and let him play hockey? There wouldn't be enough space on the web to for all of the posts calling him a crybaby.

One, atta pick and choose what you quote.

Two, I never said that Kessel didn't struggle against the Bruins.

Three, Daniel Alfredsson is a different person than Phil Kessel so I don't see how you can use it as a comparitive other than it being a story that went on too long.

 

[drummond]

How conscious are you when you go into that [td Garden in Boston] building?
It?s been four years now.

I know, I can count
Can you?

Yeah, I can. I?m a girl and I can count
It?s another game.

I had no idea Kessel is so funny - this is almost Mogilny type of irony...

 

[Kin]

Phil Kessel may have an obligation to speak to the media for his team. IF, he, being the star of the team, deems that it effects his play, or the coaches/management sees that it's affecting his attitude, then it is to the better of the team that he does not speak with the media.

No, it's not. Because the issue isn't just "what's best for Phil Kessel". The issue is what's best for the team and it is emphatically not better for any team to let any player decide for himself which rules he wants to follow. Could you imagine the chaos if the policy on team practice was that attendance was only required for players who thought it helped their game?

 

[Peter D.]

I'm still trying to catch up here and wrap my head around this whole thing, but why was yesterday's scrum so big he had to conduct interviews?  It wasn't the eve of the playoffs, it wasn't after a game.  Is the player's obligation to the Leafs to be accessible to the media on a 24/7 basis? 

 

[bustaheims]

I'm still trying to catch up here and wrap my head around this whole thing, but why was yesterday's scrum so big he had to conduct interviews?  It wasn't the eve of the playoffs, it wasn't after a game.  Is the player's obligation to the Leafs to be accessible to the media on a 24/7 basis?

I believe they're supposed to be available after all team events - practices, games, etc. - within reason.

 

[Kin]

Three, Daniel Alfredsson is a different person than Phil Kessel so I don't see how you can use it as a comparitive other than it being a story that went on too long.

So you can't compare two people because they're different people?

Alright...

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Phil Kessel may have an obligation to speak to the media for his team. IF, he, being the star of the team, deems that it effects his play, or the coaches/management sees that it's affecting his attitude, then it is to the better of the team that he does not speak with the media.

No, it's not. Because the issue isn't just "what's best for Phil Kessel". The issue is what's best for the team and it is emphatically not better for any team to let any player decide for himself which rules he wants to follow. Could you imagine the chaos if the policy on team practice was that attendance was only required for players who thought it helped their game?

Ummmmm, obviously the player doesn't make the decisions himself in regards to practices.Like I said, if the coaches/management felt it was effecting his play/attitude etc;

I Didn't realize I had to type it all out for you. I'll remember that.

Three, Daniel Alfredsson is a different person than Phil Kessel so I don't see how you can use it as a comparitive other than it being a story that went on too long.

So you can't compare two people because they're different people?

Alright...

Sure I can compare them in being people.

Daniel Alfredsson is good with the media. He has no problem answering the tough questions.

Phil Kessel is not good with the media. He's introverted and struggles with the bright lights.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Sorry, this part of your statement made me laugh. Only a handful of reporters still use this as a motto. Most are out to make a name for themselves by saying things like "I can count"....For 4 years they have reported on this story. I can't wait until Phil either leaves or he puts a couple past Boston. The reporters will scramble for their next Leaf to kick in the nuts..repeatedly.

Sure, but those particular individuals aren't good reporters, and that has nothing to do with how the report on the Leafs or anything else. In fact, for the most part, they're not really even reporters anymore. They're columnists. There's a pretty significant difference between the two, and, really, a big part of the job for a columnist is to magnify controversies

So why should we as fans expect our heroes(hockey players) answer questions of these idiots that are just there to magnify controversies. In fact, I can't think of one good "reporter" left.

 

[Corn Flake]

I don't really care what the reasons are.. if he doesn't want to speak then I don't care.

I never expected he would speak anyway.  He rarely does as it is. 

Story out of nothing.

 

[bustaheims]

So why should we as fans expect our heroes(hockey players) answer questions of these idiots that are just there to magnify controversies. In fact, I can't think of one good "reporter" left.

Because, A) it's part of their job, as is spelled out in their contracts and B) there are still a number of very good reporters out there. People just like to give all the attention to the columnists who stir up controversy.

 

[Corn Flake]

I'm still trying to catch up here and wrap my head around this whole thing, but why was yesterday's scrum so big he had to conduct interviews?  It wasn't the eve of the playoffs, it wasn't after a game.  Is the player's obligation to the Leafs to be accessible to the media on a 24/7 basis?

I believe they're supposed to be available after all team events - practices, games, etc. - within reason.

Any player that the media wants to talk to? I believe specific players aren't required... just a spokesperson or two.  Kessel never speaks to the media so why does he suddenly have to now?

I'd rather have all players focused on being as ready as possible and Kessel suddenly required to do media events is not in his normal routine.  There are 10 guys on that team who will talk - let the media talk to them.

 

[Kin]

Ummmmm, obviously the player doesn't make the decisions himself in regards to practices.Like I said, if the coaches/management felt it was effecting his play/attitude etc;

Well, A) you said that in regard to the media availability and B) you said "if he, being the star of the team, deems it effects his play". What I did then was take your position on media availability and, to heighten the absurdity of it, posit if the same policy were in place regarding practices.

I, as you see, have no problem typing it all out for you.